Odisha court awards lifer to man in Chatrapur block chief murder

A local court here today pronounced life sentence to the accused for killing the former block chairman of Chatrapur in Odisha’s Ganjam district.

Adjudicating over the case, the Additional District Judge Sovan Kumar Das today awarded life sentence to Harihar Nayak for the murder of the senior CPI leader.

The former block chief N Simanchal Reddy was shot dead by two assailants on September 22, 2010 over past enmity.

Reddy was attacked by Nayak while the former was overseeing works at his under-construction house at Chamakhandi. The local police had rushed Reddy to MKCG Medical College and Hospital in a critical condition. However, he was declared brought dead. Following the murder, tension prevailed in the area.

A massive manhunt was launched to nab the accused following which Nayak was arrested from Hasnabad in West Bengal by Crime Branch on September 29, 2010.

The other accused B. Purushottam Patra had surrendered before the Chatrapur police three days after the incident.